Brake-shoe.



A. L. STREETBR. BRAKE SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1908 Patented Jan. 12, 1909 ALFRED-L.STREET-ER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BBAKIEPSHDE.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 10, 1908. Serial No. 7,788.

. T all whom it may concern:

be it known that l, .ALFRED L. STREETER, a citizen or the United btates,residing at Chicago, ()ook county, lllinois, have invented'certam newand userul im rovements 1n Brake-bhoes, of which the iollowing is afull, clear, and exact description.

my invention relates to improvements in brake shoes adapted tor use uponrailway and other cars or like charater. Une of the dimcultlesencountered in the use of brake shoes for'this purpose lies in the factthat shoes especially constructed for wheels of a given diameter,operate more or less inetfectually on Wheels 01' a difl'erent diameter,the diu'erent parts are subjected to difi'erent degrees of wear, and theshoes are liable to be broken. 'lo meet these difliculties, it is commonpractice to make the shoe in two separate parts held together bysuitable means such as a key or some other connect: ing device. Brakeshoes of this character are objectionablelfor the reason that theconstruction is weak, the parts are liable to become separated and lost,and, moreover,

it is practically impossible to so mount' while formed substantially asa single piece' shoe, adapts itself readily to wheels of differentdiameter whereby all parts of the Wear face of'the shoe will receiveequal Wear.

A further object is to provide a flexible I brake shoe which shall becapable of as cffective operation'as a solid or rigid shoe.

A further object is to so form the shoe notwithstanding it may be brokenin use, the parts will operate as effectively as a solid shoe and at thesame time the shoe will be to a greater degree adapted to conform toareillustrated in the accompanying draw-' ings, in which,

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of a shoe embodying my invention. Fig. 2 1sa cross sectio upon the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a detached view ofthe blank employe to form the lug or lug strap of the brake shoe.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified construction of shoe.

fiedform.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, 1 indicates thebody of the shoe which has molded therein,'a transverse Patented Jan.12, 1909.,

Fig. 5 illustrates'a second modi-.

the opening 2 at 5. This reinforcing exibl'e str'ip serves when the shoeis in use to. maintain the divided parts thereof in proper assembledposition and serves to transmit the pressure of the brake arm to saidparts equally. The lug for receiving the key by which the shoe issecured to its backing consists as here shown of a more or less flexiblemetal strip 6 having the arms 7 and a 'cen tral cross piece 8. The arms7 are bent down as shown in Fig. 1 and are molded in the divided partsrespectively of the body portion, the cross piece 8 formin the top ofthe lug to hold the key in osition therein whereby the shoe is held toits backing, the key being inserted inthe opening between said cross.piece 8 and the portion 5 of the reinforcing strip 3. I

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4: the

reinforcing strip 9 is shown embedded or molded in the body of the brakeshoe and as extended continuously at the same radius over the back ofthe brake and over the transverse opening 2 without being ofi'set atthispoint as'shown at 5 in Fig. 1. In this form also is shown amodification of the lug strap 6 in which cross bars 'lOfla-re'formedbetween the legs 7 of the strip upon which the reinforcing member 9rests, whereby the lug strip is securely held within the body of theshoe by thereinforcing strip 9, as well as by being embedded in theshoe. If desired also, other cross bars may be so formed as to extendacross above the reinforcin strip 9, whereby the latter also is morermly held in osition, and tendency of the shoe to straig ten out isprevented. A further advantage offthis last construction also resides inthe fact that in? the rou h usage to which the shoesv are subjected inhandling, they'are less likely to-be broken molded in the wear face ofthe two parts of the shoe,'and across the transverse openin 2 or n themolding of the shoe atbridge or reinforce of cast iron may be castacross the mouth of the transverse opening 2 flush spects beingsubstantially intact.

of the body portion.

with the wear surfaces of the divided parts In the modified form shownin Fi 5, the transverse opening, 12 instead of extending entirelythrough the'body portion of'the shoe as shown in thefform heretoforedescribed may extend only partially therethrough, leaving a solidportion or bridge 13 between the top of the opening and the reinforcingstrip 9, the latter in other rethe same as shown in Fig. 4 and-the lu.strap 6 being constructed as heretofore escribed.

In the molding of the shoe and to further eiualize the distribution ofwear, the parts 0 the body portion immediately adjacent the transverseopening as at 14 may be chilled or hardened in the same manner as theend portions 15 (Figs. 1 and 5) of the body portion are chilled thechill serving at the same time to form the transverse opening2orl2. 7

When th brake shoe is placed in osition in the brake mechanism it isinten ed that the two parts of the body portionshall be That is tosayneither the reinforcing strip-11 (Fig. 4) nor the solid orti'on13(Fig. 5) are broken. When the s oe, however, is subjected to use, and

particularly in-pase the wheels with which it is used are of lessdiameter than theinitial. radius of the shoe as a whole, the pressureexerted through the backing'and also the wear upon the reinforcing strip11 (Fig. 4) at the wearsurface, will serve to break said reinforcingstrip and the solid portion13,

resultingin a substantially two-part shoe, which is securely heldtodgether bythe reinforcing strips 3 or 9 an by 3 or 9, and the lugstrap 6 will impart I necessary 7 flexibility to the brake shoe' as awhole to enable it'at the same time to conap lied.

invention,

" a flexible strip 0 tially tion,

the lug straps 6 and the flexibility of the reinforcing strips .positewalls form to the diameter wheel to which it. is

ile I have here shown several specific same ma be altered in detailwithout dearting rom the spirit and scope thereof.

What I claim is: 1. A brake shoe comprising a substanit is to beunderstood that the tiall divided body portion and a flexible rein orcmgmember connecting the divided parts thereof;

2. A brake shoe comprising a body portion having a transverse openingtherein separating said portion into substantially two parts, and aflexible. reinforcing member molded into and connecting the parts ofsaid bod V 3. 'A [drake shoe comprising a substanextremities molded intothe respectively of said body portion.

4. A brake shoe comprising a substantially divided bod of a flexiblemeta strip having its opposite extremities secured to the divided partsrespectively of said body portion. 7

5. A brake shoe comprising a substantially divided body portion, aflexible reinforcing member molded into the back thereof. and connectingthe divided parts 7 parts tially divided body portion and a lug formed 1of a flexiblemetal strip having apposite, 7

portion and a lug formed i thereof, and 11 kc -rece1ving lug comprisingmetal having its opposite extremities extending down upon either side ofsaid strip and molded into the divided parts respectivel of said bodyportion.

6. A brake s cc comp divided body, ortio'n, a flexible reinforcingmember mo dedinto the back and connecting the divided parts of said bodyportion, and a second reinforcing and connecting member joining saidparts substantially at the, wear faces thereof.

7 A brake shoe comprising a body rtion havi a transverse opening thereinforming su stantially separate wear faces, a flexible reinforcing memthe shoe adjacent said opening and connecting the divided'parts thereof.8. A brake shoe comprising a body ra transverse opemng said body portioninto substantially two arts, having separate wear faces, saidshoetherein divi V rising a substanloo 7 her molded 1m 7 ions aving chilledportions -in said wear faces 1 and adjacent said open- .portions in theopnm gTREETER.

at their outer ends ing and havin chilled 0 said o ALFRE Witnesses:

. Rama 0. Powm,

-OHA8.'A. Pam.

